My Favorite Inspiring Quotes

Civilization

Commentary by Peter Shepherd

“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.” ~ Confucius

Civilization is formed from nations, each nation from communities, and each family forms the structure of their community. Therefore it's important that the parents of each family set a great example to their children. This will influence neighboring families and the generations to follow.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ St. Augustine

Hypocrisy gets us nowhere - we have to walk the talk. And George Bernard Shaw: “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”

“Civilization begins where chaos and insecurity end. For when fear is overcome, curiosity and constructiveness are free, and Man passes by natural impulse towards the understanding and embellishment of life.” ~ Will Durant

Civilization, then is social order promoting cultural creation. Neil Carothers: “Four things have built civilization - the spirit of religion, the spirit of creative art, the spirit of research and the spirit of business enterprise.”

“Respect for the rights of others means peace.” ~ Benito Juarez

As Pancho Villa said, “There can never be peace in a world where one man has his belly full and another man is starving.”

“I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” ~ Roger Ebert

Preceded by communication and followed by understanding, resulting in compassion. Caring about others is the basis of social behavior. It's of mutual benefit and in my opinion should be the number one quality fostered by education. Reading the best novels offers insight into the minds of others, far more so than films and TV.

“Whoever doesn't know the past must have little understanding of the present and no vision for the future.” ~ Joseph S. Raymond

Hence the value of wide, open-ended education for liberation - and the power of distorting evidence and rewriting history to create suppression.

When we use love, wisdom, and power correctly, it blesses everyone. For example, wise people learned how to accept their power and coupling it with their natural love developed incredible inventions for humanity. These inventions came about because people balanced these forces within themselves to create something for everyone's benefit and use. Continues...

We can restore our relationships, our health and our lives through the forgiveness and release of things that no longer serve us like guilt, shame and resentment. When we, as individuals, find balance in our personal sense of love, wisdom and power, we literally change the world simply by being a presence and channel of unconditional love. Continues...

The balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason. With each court victory, with every change in the law, we demonstrate facts are more convincing than fear. As a society, we rediscover that the value of a right is not in what it hides, but in what it protects. Continues...